Rep. Cooper urged House leadership to clear several must-pass measures, and he pushed for self-policing bills that would hold Congress accountable for inaction and misbehavior.

“One party controls both chambers of Congress and the White House. Yet very little good is getting done,” Rep. Cooper said. “We need priorities in Washington, D.C., to align with priorities here in Tennessee. Congress shouldn’t be a clown show.”

Rep. Cooper called attention to the following issues:

Government Shutdown: Barring action from the House and Senate, the federal government will shut down at the end of Friday. Previous shutdowns occurred under divided government – when Republicans controlled one or both houses of Congress and Democrats controlled the presidency, or the reverse. But it has never happened under unified party control. A longtime advocate of congressional accountability, Rep. Cooper supports the No Budget, No Pay Act and the Hold Congress Accountable Act. The latter bill would reduce the salary of members of Congress during a government shutdown.

Short-Term Spending: Even if Republicans resolve their differences this week, any spending bill is likely to be just a brief stopgap. Top Pentagon officials have described such short-term agreements as “wasteful and inefficient,” as well as “damaging” to the military.

Taxes: An emerging Republican tax plan – subject to no real hearings in the House or Senate – is speeding along in Congress despite “glitches” and other problems with its drafting. A report by the Joint Tax Committee indicates the plan would add $1 trillion to the debt. Even Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker voted against the Senate Republican version of the tax plan.